Tag Archives: fantasy

I read a lot. A lot. And I read a wide range of different genres and stories. I do ARCs. I do Beta Reading. I read a lot.

There is something about a well written fantasy story that grabs me in a way nothing else does. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe some strange mix of nostalgia, not being able to keep my feet on the ground, and being a Christian, which should tell you that I believe in the True and Great Story. I believe in prophecy, a coming King who has come, miracles, angels, heroes, life after death, fulfilment, and resurrection, all of which are rehashed in so many ways in Fantasy Stories. My favorites are Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Watership Down and now…The Wingfeather Saga.

I am at a loss for words to describe this series. I could tell you that I laughed and cried, but that wouldn’t tell you about the clever humor Peterson wove through his series from start to finish. It wouldn’t tell you about the beautiful and painful moments where longings were fulfilled, but only at the loss of something dear. (I couldn’t even write that sentence without choking up as I recalled scene after scene.)

I could tell you it had characters I loved, but that wouldn’t tell you how much Podo, that pirate grandpa, meant to me. Or about Peet the Sockman who was my favorite character, or about brave Sarah who maybe one of the greatest female characters I’ve ever had the joy of adventuring with.

I could tell you it is well written, but that would fail to describe the beautiful word choice with which great longing, pain, sorrow, joy, forgiveness, light, dark, music, and stories were lovingly held out to the reader.

Much like Harry Potter, the story starts out easy. It is just three siblings with their dog getting into trouble, but the action escalates. Innocence is destroyed, and the Igby children find themselves in a new world of legend, mystery, and danger. As the story continues, things get darker and darker and yet, like all well written fantasy, the darker they get the brighter light shines.

I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages. Your children will love it, be they boys or girls, and if you’re one of those people, like me, who still curls up with Harry Potter, who still longs to see the elves with Sam, who still dreams of visiting Watership Down, read the Wingfeather Saga.

This book was an absolute delight to read. It has a little bit of everything: adventure, battles, political intrigue, betrayal, friendships, danger, legendary creatures, dragons, fairies, gnomes and so much more!

I loved that it centers around an eccentric home school family, and, no, not a denim skirt wearing family, just a normal home school family. (NO offense if you wear jean skirts.) The Larcens are fun, relatable, and just a little crazy.

Describing this book is hard because it has so many elements that would normally turn me off from a book: it’s safe, it’s Christian fantasy, it’s safe. LOL. I don’t need to put any sort of warning on it. There is no language. The kids are smart and not rebellious. The romance is sweet, mild, and not acted upon by either party. It has a family that trust the Lord and loves each other. There is nothing here that isn’t good and wholesome. Most books that I can say this about are also boring, badly written, preachy, and trite.

Not The Tethered World.

Map of the Tethered World.(Supplied by H. FitzGerald.)

When their parents disappear, the Larcen children have their lives turned upside down and the adventure begins.

The mythological creatures are handled perfectly: just different enough to be interesting and just familiar enough to tie them to other stories. The struggles faced by Sadie as she tackles a world she only wants to leave are real and relatable without being annoying. Sophie is my heart and I love her to death. She spends most of the adventure trying not to have too much fun. Brady grows into a man by fighting and sacrificing himself, and Brock finds his place. (Brock’s story is one of the great joys of this book.)

If you have a kid, boy or girl, who loved Narnia this is the next book for them. It’s written very much with Lewis’ world in mind and has much of the same feel. Danger and struggles are there, but not so detailed or dark that they overwhelm the story.

This is a great book to read to introduce the wide world of fantasy to adults and children alike.

So, I say this story is safe in the same way I would say The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is safe. It has moments of great darkness, but also great joy. It has moments that made me chuckle and laugh while I read, and moments that brought me to tears.

If you are tired of YA books that seem to have far more Adult and not enough Young, if you want a story about kids who aren’t so worried about boyfriends and girlfriends, but about taking care of their family, if you want faith that isn’t preachy, and if you want good fun adventure, check out The Tethered World.

On a personal note, I’ve worked with Heather for a couple years now on her writing and her on mine. She was one of the earliest members of the Manet Writing Group that I founded and a dear friend. The praise I’ve given her book isn’t something I take lightly and isn’t given because I actually know her. Her writing is wonderful and her world is magical. I plan on giving her book as a gift to my nieces this month and can’t wait to talk to them about it.

Join us for a FB Launch Party for the release of TheTethered World this evening! There will be some awesome door prizes given away including a Kindle and gift cards to Starbucks and Amazon. If you join us, make sure you say I sent you! 🙂

(If you follow the link above it will take you to Amazon where you can purchase The Tethered World which will give me a small kick-back. Thank you in advance!)

Heather L.L. FitzGerald lives in Texas with four someones that call her mom and one special someone that calls her his wife. She homeschooled her children–one of whom is autistic–and teaches ballet at a fine arts school in Forth Worth. Heather is a member of the North Texas Christian Writers, and helps to facilitate the Manet writer’s group in Fort Worth, Texas. She loves drinking ice lattes, cloud watching, and getting lost in a good book.

“My sisters liked stories too, But not as much as Mother and I did. We lived with one foot in reality and one in fantasy, And sometimes we forgot which foot was which. I still do.” – The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock